Shirvani fallout lingers

June 6, 2013

Outgoing North Dakota University System Chancellor Hamid Shirvani will presumably spend the next month cleaning out his office after having his contract bought out by the state this week. He'll also spend the next month figuring out what to do with the $925,377 he'll receive in the next two years for failing miserably at his job.

The extremely generous buyout approved by the State Board of Higher Education is sure to raise the ire of North Dakota taxpayers. The deal includes the final two years of Shirvani's three-year contract, as well as health insurance, retirement benefits and compensation for annual leave time. Not a bad deal for a guy who did nothing but irritate most everyone he worked with while proposing and trying to implement sweeping and unnecessary changes to the system in less than a year. Oh, and don't forget his repeated violations of our state's open meetings laws, as investigated and documented by Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem.

By all means, let's reward Shirvani for doing such a fine job. The outgoing chancellor will leave office July 15, but said this week he will be available to the university system staff and Board of Higher Education until?January as a consultant. Why on earth would anyone in the university system want to consult with Shirvani once he leaves office?

Shirvani said this week that his second-biggest mistake was not quitting months ago, and his biggest mistake was taking the chancellor job in the first place.